Light Within The Darkness!
by Mozart's Fantasy
Summary: The world can change in the blink of an eye. For the skelebros, that was all the time needed to tear their world apart. Now with one in the hospital and the other slowly falling into despair... how are either to survive? When a thoughtless act leads to a brother in danger and all hope seems lost... that's when you find a light within the darkness.
1. Prologue

**AN: This story is going to be rather sad in the beginning but I promise there will be a happy ending. If you've read any of my other fics you know how I work :) Anyway, I was super inspired with this chapter so I hope that you all enjoy it. This is my first post, true pacifist route fic that actually takes place on the surface so I had to figure out how to work with that. I hope you don't mind that I pretty much skipped over the integration by having the humans be nice... I just wanted to get straight into this story. The beginning has a lot of explanation going on but it was necessary to explain what has happened in the two years since they made it to the surface. Don't forget to let me know what you think, it keeps me motivated to write ;)**

 **This story was requested by: SansFan4... I hope it meets their standards :)**

 **Disclaimer: Toby Fox will forever own the rights to Undertale.**

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It had been nearly two years since the barrier was broken and the monsters ascended to the surface. In the beginning many monsters had been worried about how the humans would react but they were pleasantly surprised to find that most of their former enemies welcomed them back with open arms. Sure there would always be some that held a prejudice against the monster race... but they were far outnumbered by the ones who supported them. The integration they feared would take many long years was nearly non-existent and they were able to get IDs, find jobs, and buy houses with no problems. Things seemed to be looking up for everyone, even a certain hoodie wearing skeleton from Snowdin.

Out of all the monsters it was clear that Sans was the one who'd had the hardest time adjusting. No matter what he'd did the things he'd been witness to just wouldn't leave him alone. The memories resurfaced during the night and sometimes the smallest things would trigger him to have a flashback. His older brother and friends didn't understand what was wrong, how could they when he refused to speak to them of his troubles? Instead, the comedian chose to hide his pain behind a mask made of puns and fake smiles... yet the only one he was fooling was himself. They were all able to see the anguish that was eating away at him but without knowing the cause there was nothing they could do to help. So the older monsters waited patiently for the day their friend would finally feel comfortable enough to approach them with is troubles and, in the mean time, they did their best to offer him support.

When nearly a year had passed without any improvement Frisk decided that it was time to take the initiative. If Sans refused to tell the others about what had happened with the resets, then she would... even if she had to reveal he own crimes in the process. The small child had managed to gather their closest friends and family together for a movie night at her house. She'd even managed to manipulate the seating arrangements so that the hoodie clad monster was pinned between Papyrus and Undyne on the couch... ensuring he couldn't escape. Frisk knew that Sans had been unable to teleport for awhile now, his magic reserves had dropped dangerously low in the last few months. It was one of the reasons she'd decided to go through with this plan. If things kept up the way they were then it was very likely that her best friend would fall down.

Frisk had anticipated Sans trying to run, what she hadn't anticipated was the way he'd completely broken down when he realized he couldn't. She'd never seen her friend so upset. Even during the numerous genocide loops he'd seemed more angry than sad when he'd confronted Chara after learning what had befallen his loved ones. But now the perpetual smile was gone and in it's place was a seemingly endless stream of tears as the youngest skeleton apologized over and over for not being able to save them during those horrific timelines. No one knew what to do as they sat there, watching their punny friend cry himself to sleep in his brothers arms. It was as if every drop of happiness they possessed had leaked out of them with each tear that had fallen.

The next morning Frisk had found Sans sitting outside on the lawn, watching the sunrise with a distant expression on his face. Right then and there she had promised him there would be no more resets. The child had projected all of the determination she contained within her small body into her words, hoping to convince the slightly taller being of her sincerity and in return, she was gifted with the most genuine smile he'd given her since the very first reset. That had been nearly a year ago now and, with time, Sans had slowly begun to heal.

"Hey, bro, I'm heading out." The comedian called as he entered the kitchen where the other skeleton was busy preparing supper. "I'll be back later, okay?"

"WHAT ABOUT THE RULES I ASKED YOU TO FOLLOW? SANS, YOU KNOW THEY ARE THERE FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!" Papyrus declared unwaveringly, hands resting on his hips as he stared down his the younger monster.

During the last year Papyrus had become extremely protective of his baby brother. It had taken weeks just for his friends to convince him to let the other male leave the house without supervision but as Sans' anxiety lessened so did Pap's reason to babysit him. Now he was allowed out on his own as long as he followed a strict set of rules.

1\. He had to tell Papyrus where he was going.

2\. He had to say exactly when he'd be home and make sure he was there by the appointed time.

3\. If, for any reason, his plans happened to change he was to call the older monster immediately and let him know.

"Come on Pappy..." The jokester protested, eyes looking pleadingly up at the taller monster. "The nightmares only come about once a week, I haven't had a flashback for almost a month, I'm even able to talk about the timelines without crying or having my magic act up. Don't you think it's about time that I was allowed some freedom?"

He knew it was a cheep shot. Monster kind had been locked away for so long that any mention of captivity made them instantly uneasy. Thus, it was no surprise when the scarf wearing skeleton looked away, guilt etched on his face.

"Very well," The spaghetti lover relinquished, worry shining in his eyes. "But if anything happens I swear I will never let you out of my sight again!"

"You got it, bro!" Sans exclaimed, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he headed toward the door. "I'll see ya tonight."

"Goodbye Sans..." Papyrus began only to trail off when he noticed his brother was already gone. _"Please be safe."_

-XXX-XXX-XXX-

Sans drove his motorcycle to his favorite spot in Ebott city... an old, overgrown park that people rarely visited nowadays. It was the perfect place to go when he felt like being alone. It's true that he could have just teleported there, his magic had risen significantly since the kid had pulled their little stunt, but he liked feeling the wind whipping against him as he drove. It felt nice... it felt free. That's what he liked about this park, it was wild and untamed, flourishing untouched in the middle of a bustling city. Pulling off to the side of the crumbling road that wound through the area, Sans dismounted and placed his helmet on the seat of his ride.

"Wow, it's such a nice day." He said to himself as he walked along his usually path toward the middle of the park where a small fountain resided. "I can't believe it's already fall, time sure flies... though I am looking forward to seeing the snow again. I wasn't really in the mood to enjoy it last year."

As he reached his destination the slipper wearing monster took a seat on the marble barrier, watching as droplets of water rained down inches away from where he sat. Reaching into his hoodie, the jokester pulled out his journal and flipped it open to an empty page. He had started keeping one at Toriel's insistence. The queen had explained that it would help him deal with the trauma he'd endured and implored him to, at the very least, give it a try. So even though he wasn't sure he believed it would work, Sans had complied in order to appease her. A few weeks later he was faithfully writing in his journal every day.

 _'October 10, 2016...'_

He wrote, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing.

 _'Hmm, I don't really have much to record today. No nightmares last night... that's good. Papyrus finally let me go out on my own today without using the rules! I know he means well but my bro can be kind of suffocating at times. It's weird though, I'm so used to him hovering now that I've started to get nervous when I'm alone. I'm sure I'll get over that soon though. Maybe Pap will even let me go back to selling hotdogs since I'm mostly better. That reminds me, I really need to remember to thank Frisk sometime, after all... she's kept her promise.'_

With that taken care of the short skeleton returned the book to his jacket and stared into the water, thinking back to the times when he'd sit on the bench in his secret alcove of waterfall. Back then that had been his place of solitude, similar to how this park now was. But the major difference is that he wasn't sitting here with tears running down his face as he blamed himself for letting his friends die for the countless time. No, Sans was here with the knowledge that the others were safe, alive, and they would remain so as long as the kid upheld their promise... and so far she'd given him no reason to doubt her.

After a while the stocky skeleton rose to his feet and made his way back to his vehicle. He'd lost track of time as he was daydreaming and now it was nearly dusk. If he didn't get home soon his big brother was likely to assemble a search party. Securing his helmet on his head, he mounted his ride and started the engine. Sans was just pulling out of the drive when a car sped forward out of nowhere, colliding with the front section of his motorcycle and sending it spinning out of control. The twenty-four year old held on as best he could, panic causing his eye to light up blue as he summoned his magic. However, he was unable to teleport in time and his head bounced off the ground as he impacted the pavement. He lay there, feet away from the smoking wreckage that had been his bike, pain coursing through his body as he watched the offending vehicle speed away into the distance.

"Hey, are you okay?" A middle aged human cried, rushing forward as he directed someone else to call for an ambulance. "Where does it hurt?"

Something warm and sticky was covering the side of Sans' face and he shifting in order to bring his left hand up to his head, cautiously removing the dented helmet with an unsteady grip. Gasping in pain the former judge attempted to sit up but was held in place by the humans gentle grip on his shoulder.

"No, don't try to move. That could cause more damage." The man explained, doing his best to spot any injuries in the fading light.

He winced as he saw a dark trail of blood leaking from the large crack on the short skeleton's skull. Upon further observation he noticed what looked like a broken leg as well. Those were the only injuries visible to the naked eye but it was painfully clear that if the wounded monster hadn't taken the proper precautions for riding his motorcycle he would have been killed on impact.

"Can you tell me your name? Should I contact anyone for you?" The witness asked, doing his best to remain calm so he wouldn't cause the other being any unnecessary stress.

Sans stared up at the person above him, thoughts sluggish as he tried to comprehend what the guy had said. After several moments realization dawned as the comedian's mind cleared slightly.

"I'm S...Sans." He said, breathlessly, shivers wracking his small frame as the cold settled into his bones. "C...can you call my br...brother, p...please?"

"Nice to meet you Sans. My name is Matthew. Don't worry, help's on the way." The human said as he quickly removed his coat and carefully spread it over the trembling monster's body, trying to keep the shock at bay as he noticed the injured male's eyes slowly begin to close. "Come on, stay with me! I'll make sure to contact your brother but you have to stay awake. Can you do that for me?"

"I c...can try." The pun lover declared after a short silence, teeth clenched as he tried to hold back his tears.

Everything hurt so bad. All he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and wait for his big brother to come and tell him that it would be okay.

"That's good... just do your best." The person soothed, taking out his phone. "Can you tell me his number?"

The hoodie clad monster spoke the number for his brothers cell, eyes growing heavier by the second as he did his best to follow the man's instructions. He watched as Matthew called the number he'd given him, hope filling his soul as he heard Pap's voice only for it to be dashed moments later when it turned out to be the answering machine. Every single time he'd been scared or upset during this past year, every time he'd needed someone to lean on, Papyrus had always been there for him. But now he was one his own... scared and hurt... and his brother wasn't coming. That thought made the tears he'd held back for so long spring to the surface.

Hanging up the phone, Matthew turned his attention back to Sans... heart clenching as he took in the tears streaming down the small monster's face. It was easy to see the fear lingering in the skeleton's eyes as he softly ran a hand over the younger male's arm, trying to soothe him as he did his own son whenever he was upset. The man was glad when he felt the other being slowly relax, the action seeming to have served it's purpose. This continued for a few seconds more before his wife rushed over and declared that the medical team was on it's way.

"You poor dear. " She said, tears filling her kind eyes as a whimper escaped the weary monster. "Shh, it's alright, you'll be safe soon."

Sans hadn't even noticed that a second human had joined the first until she began tenderly wiping the blood off of his face with a napkin. Once finished, the woman lightly clasped one of his hands between her own, rubbing circles on the bone with her thumb.

"Th...thanks." The jokester said, voice barely above a whisper as he blinked up at the couple above him listlessly.

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart." The female replied, giving the hand she was holding a gentle squeeze. "My name's Jeanie, I heard you say that yours was Sans?"

He nodded, almost imperceptibly, but stopped immediately when it felt as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to his head.

"I also happened to overhear that you have a brother. I have an older sister myself." She revealed, doing her best to keep the skeleton alert. "What's your sibling like? Mine was rather protective when we were younger, worse than my parents if you'll believe it, she even tried to chase off Matthew when we first started dating."

Sans chuckled lowly, amazed by the resemblance the female human's sister shared with Papyrus.

"Trust me, it's not very funny when you're the one being chased off with a broom." Matthew added, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment which only caused Sans to chuckle more before a spike of pain shot through his body, cutting it off.

A couple minutes passed by as they waited for Sans to get his breath back. Once he had the female spoke again, anxiety showing in her posture yet she refused to let it enter her voice.

"You never answered my question, what's he like... your brother?" Jeanie offered a fond smile, still holding the smaller beings hand as she patiently awaited the slippered monster's response.

He smiled as he quietly told the humans of his amazing older bro, glad to have a distraction from his suffering. The three stayed there, talking about everything and nothing as they waited for the medics to arrive, but soon the effort grew too much for the wounded skeleton and he fell silent. Each breath the former judge drew shook in his chest, seeming to intensify the pain, and he was so very dizzy. It felt as if he was back on his motorcycle spinning out of control, though he knew he was still lying prone on the ground.

"Sans? Sans!?" Jeanie called, noticing that he'd grown very pale since they'd last gotten him to talk... well paler than he already was considering that he's a skeleton.

"Is he going to be okay, Matt?" The woman asked when she failed to get a response from the smaller being, worriedly biting her lip as she rubbed some dirt off the skeleton's tear stained face.

The other human glanced down at the monster they'd been doing their best to help, a sigh escaping his lips as he noticed the exhaustion filling the small skeleton's eye sockets. He wouldn't be able to last much longer.

"I don't know, Jeanie." Her husband spoke at last, unwilling to give false hope to the woman he loved.

As they continued to wait, the apprehension Matthew felt grew stronger with every second help failed to arrive. Sans had been taking longer and longer to respond to their stimuli and a blank stare had stolen over the shorter male's face a few minutes earlier. With nothing more he could do, the man took hold of his wife's hand and turned his eyes to watch for any approaching vehicles.

Sans' breaths had grown shallow as the minutes passed and his eyes fluttered closed. To him, it seemed as if an eternity had passed... in reality it had been all of six minutes. By now the city noise had faded into a soft echo, making every sound seem as if it were coming from far away and somehow he could tell that it wouldn't be long before he lost the battle with sleep. As the ambulance sirens rang out in the distance his last conscious thought was of Papyrus and he couldn't help the small smile that found it's way onto his face... his bro was never gonna let him out of his sight again. As the flashing lights drew closer Sans felt himself let go, the pain and fear disappearing as he succumbed to the welcoming darkness that awaited him.

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 **An: Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this! I'm planning on updating this whenever I have time between working on Adopted Promise and Doubtful Belief. Please let me know what you think! Review really make my day :)**


	2. Fears Come True

**AN: Wow this is sad. I almost made myself cry. Oh well, I hope you like it. I've got some pretty cool things planned for later on in this story so I hope you'll stick around to see what I have in store for you all. Don't forget to let me know what you think... it really keeps me motivated.**

 **Disclaimer: Toby Fox = Awesome creator and owner of Undertale. Me = Fanfiction author who loves to write about her favorite characters. See the difference ;)**

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Papyrus paced the floor, a worried frown upon his face as he continuously glanced at the clock. It was nearly ten o'clock, Sans should have been home by now.

 _'Where could you be, brother? You said you'd be home by tonight!'_ He thought to himself, grabbing his phone from a nearby table and flipping it open to reveal a missed call. _'Hmm, this isn't Sans' number, I wonder who it could be?'_

Just then, his cell rang out shrilly in the silence, startling the older skeleton so much that he nearly dropped the delicate device in his scramble to answer.

"Hello? This is THE GREAT PAPYRUS speaking." He said, when he realized it was the same number as before. "May I ask who's calling?"

" _Hello, My name is Matthew. I'm calling in regard to your brother... Sans?"_

Pap let out a shaky breath, there was something in this mans voice that set him on edge.

"Is he okay? What happened? WHERE IS HE!?" He demanded, hoping the twisting fear in his soul was unfounded and that his little brother was safe and sound.

The next words out of the strangers mouth shattered that hope and tore his world to pieces.

" _There's been an accident. I was with my wife near the abandoned park down by the old residential district when we witnessed a car hit your brother's motorcycle and then drive off."_

 _'No...'_ The tall monster thought, sinking onto the couch as his legs gave out. _'Oh god please... don't let him tell me that Sans was killed. I wouldn't be able to take it!'_

" _My wife called an ambulance while I rushed over to check on him. He was awake and talking when I reached his side so I did my best to keep him that way. He had a terrible head injury, however, and passed out before help arrived. Right now he's being taken to Ebott Community Hospital. My wife and I are heading there as well. We'll know more once the doctors finish examining him."_

"Oh, o...of course. Th...thank you for c...contacting me." Papyrus stuttered, stumbling to his feet to grab his keys and jacket. "I'm on my w...way now."

" _Hey, it would probably be best if you had someone drive you. If I were in your position I'd probably be pretty shaken up and would feel better if I had someone there to support me when I talk to the doctors."_

"Y...you're right. I don't think I'd be able to drive at t...the moment anyway. Thank you." With that he hung up briefly before immediately dialing the number of someone he'd always been able to count on in the past.

He waited, heart aching as he thought of his baby brother lying all alone in a hospital bed. How had this even happened? Sans was always extremely careful when it came to driving, far more so than anyone he knew. But now... No! He refused to let himself think the worst. His bro would probably already be awake by the time he got there, annoying the doctors with his terrible puns as he prepared for the lecture he was going to get. Yes, that's what would happen, he was sure of it.

" _Hey dork... why are you calling at this time of night?"_ A sudden voice startled him out of his thoughts as his mentor answered the phone.

A strangled sob escaped him mouth, it felt as though his throat had constricted and everything he'd just convinced himself of flew out the window. Tears pooled in his eye sockets as he gasped for breath, unable to muster the strength to speak lest it make his fears a reality.

" _Papyrus? Come on buddy, what's wrong?"_ The former leader of the royal guard questioned, concern leaking into her voice as she heard his breathing quicken. _"You need to calm down and tell me what happened or I won't be able to help!"_

Pap drew in a deep breath, holding it for a moment before releasing it in a great whoosh of air. This repeated a couple times more as the female waited patiently. In the end he succeeded in calming himself, even if only slightly, and was able to explain what had happened.

"I...it's Sans!" He exclaimed, still not completely calm. "There was an ac...accident. He's hurt, Undyne, he's h...hurt badly."

" _What the heck hap... No, forget it... that isn't important."_ The fish lady began only to chastise herself. _"I'll be right over. Stay there!"_

"Okay... thank you." The scarf wearing monster replied, softly.

" _Hey, there's no need for that... it's what friends do!"_ She said before the line went dead.

The spaghetti lover waited on the couch in a daze, barely even noticing the time ticking by. Less than ten minutes later Undyne burst through the door, a concerned expression on her usually fierce face.

"Hey Papyrus, you ready to go?" She asked in a hurry as she entered the living room, pausing when the other monster didn't even acknowledge her presence. "Umm, Papyrus?"

The fish lady moved closer, placing a hand on her friends shoulder as she moved. She could see tear tracks on his face from his earlier crying and his eye lights were tiny pinpricks in his sockets.

"Come on punk, snap out of it." She spoke softly, a worried undertone clearly audible in her voice as she gently shook her protege. "You need to be strong. _Sans_ needs you to be strong! He'd hurting, probably scared, and all alone in a strange place... he needs you to be there for him. Do you think you can do that?"

As Undyne was speaking, Papyrus slowly snapped out of his catatonic state... a few more tears escaping as he listened to her words.

His little brother was usually the stronger of them, whether it be physically or emotionally. At one time it had been difficult to imagine him being so vulnerable but, after the last year, he'd taken a more active role in his duties as the older sibling and had noticed all the miniscule ways Sans hid his pain. He did his best to alleviate the other skeletons troubles and, in doing so, they had become even closer as a family. But now... Sans' life was in peril and what was he doing? Wasting time sitting here when his brother could be dying in the hospital this very instant! Steeling his resolve Pap glanced up at the former leader of the royal guard.

"Let's get going!" He declared, eyes glinting resolutely. "I don't want to keep my baby brother waiting any longer than I already have!"

Undyne grinned as she offered a hand to the younger monster. He took it, rising to his feet before they both headed toward the door in silence.

 _'I'm coming Sans... just hold on a little longer.'_ The scarf clad skeleton thought as he took a seat in his mentors car.

-XXX-XXX-XXX-

Nearly half an hour later Papyrus rushed into the main entrance at Ebott Community Hospital demanding to know the location of his little brother. Undyne was only a couple of steps behind, glaring at anyone who dared get in their way as she herded her distressed friend toward the reception desk.

"Hello," The receptionist said, glancing up from her paperwork when she heard a loud voice call from across the room. "What can I help you with?"

"HUMAN! CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT ROOM MY BROTHER IS LOCATED IN?" The skeleton shouted, causing the poor human girl to cover her ears at the volume.

"Yea, sure." She spoke after the ringing in her head dissipated. "I'll need to know your brother's name, though."

"Sans..." Pap revealed and the human immediately started typing. "He... he was in an accident."

The receptionist glanced up, a sympathizing look on her face. "I'm sure he's getting the best care possible. This hospital has a very good staff on hand and I'm positive that they'll do everything in their power to help your brother."

The spaghetti lover nodded, choking back a sob as Undyne wrapped her arm around the upset skeleton's shoulders. They stayed like that until the human spoke once more.

"Okay, it seems that Sans is still in surgery so you'll have to wait in the waiting room down the hall." She revealed, pointing in the direction they'd need to go. "Once he's out of surgery the doctor will come out to talk to you while your brother is transferred to the room he'll be in for the duration of his stay."

Once again the normally enthusiastic monster nodded listlessly before heading off in the direction the woman had indicated.

"Thanks for the help." Undyne stated, absentmindedly, as she followed the other down the hall.

Papyrus entered the waiting room. Unsure what he should do, the older skelebro looked around for a place to sit and found a secluded corner far away from any of the rooms other inhabitants. The former leader of the royal guard took a seat next to him, taking out her cell in order to update her girlfriend on the situation. Beside her Pap sat in silence, his mind wandering to his brothers condition... it must be pretty bad if he had needed surgery. He was so lost in thought that he failed to notice a pair of humans make their way over until he heard Undyne speak.

"Do you need something?" The fish lady questioned gruffly, narrowing her single eye in annoyance as she took in the man and woman who had stopped a few feet in front of them.

"Uh, yes... my name is Matthew. You're Papyrus aren't you?" The male asked, turning his attention to the tall skeleton.

Papyrus glanced up. The man looked to be in his late forties judging by the few wrinkles the former sentry could see on his face and had blonde, wavy hair that came nearly to his shoulders as well as kind, purple eyes. His voice sounded familiar and it took the worried monster a few moments to realize why.

"You are the human who called to tell me about my brother." He stated, recognition dawning as he thought back to earlier that night.

"Yea, that's me." The man agreed, placing a hand on the other human's shoulder... a redhead with bright, green eyes and freckles covering her nose. "This is my wife, Jeanie. As I said earlier we were there when Sans was hurt."

"Has there been any news from the doctors?" Undyne growled lowly, hesitant to trust people she'd only just met but wanting to know about her friend.

"Not yet." Jeanie answered, glancing back toward the double doors that led into the ICU. "The poor dear was in so much pain. I only wish there was more we could have done for him."

The former sentry choked back a sob as he buried his face in his hands, the female monster pulling him close to her side as she sent the woman a withering look.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have said that." The human apologized, tears gathering in her eyes. "It's just that he seemed like such a kind monster... I can't believe someone would do something like this."

The warrior's gaze softened at the honest compassion she could see reflected on both of the humans faces but still... something didn't sit right with her.

"What do you mean that you can't believe someone would do something?" She asked, eye narrowed in suspicion as Pap managed to quiet his sobs, listening intently to what the discussion taking place above him. "I thought this was an accident."

The man stepped forward, eyes downcast as he began to explain what had happened since he'd first spoken to Papyrus.

"The police approached us about five minutes after I'd gotten off the phone with you. They had a few questions they wanted to ask us since we were there at the time of the crash." Matt disclosed, catching the older skeletons eyes as he looked up from where he sat. "We told them everything we'd seen; your brother pulling out onto the road, how the car came from nowhere and plowed into him, how whoever it was drove off without even bothering to see if he was okay. We weren't able to get the license plate number but we provided the police with a description of the vehicle including the color and make..."

Here, the man trailed off. Pap's sockets were wide with shock after hearing the details of what had happened but Undyne could see that there was more the couple had to tell.

"So what did the cops say?" She requested impatiently, clenching her claws into fists.

Letting out a sigh, Matthew wrapped an arm around his wife's waist, pulling her close to his side. In return the woman buried her face in his neck.

"They'll probably want to talk to you later but... they don't think this was an accident." The male human admitted, voice barely louder than a whisper. "They think it was a hate crime."

Papyrus drew in a strangled breath, trying to process exactly what he'd been told. As he thought of what had been revealed he felt a feeling that had rarely even been present within his soul... _rage_. His younger brother was lying in the hospital badly hurt, maybe even dying, because a few humans didn't like that monsters had managed to break the barrier and start new lives on the surface!? It was all too much to bear and the naturally goodhearted skeleton felt his magic spark to life as his eyes began to glow with a blazing orange light.

"HAVE THE POLICE MANAGED TO TRACK DOWN THE HUMANS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ATROCIOUS ACT?" He demanded as he jumped to his feet, his voice sounding somewhat demonic even to his ears.

The couple had taken several steps back, not wanting to be on the receiving end of the furious monster's wrath.

"N...no, not yet. But they s...said that they had a pretty g...good lead." The blonde man stuttered.

Just as it had manifested, the magical aura all but vanished, leaving no trace it had ever been there as the tired monster sank back down into his seat.

"I am sorry for frightening you, humans." The tall skeleton said, voice thick with concern. "I care for Sans so much and this is a very upsetting development! These past few years have not been easy on any of us, let alone my brother. I just can't understand why people would act in such a way."

Jeanie stepped forward, no sign of fear on her face as she placed a tender hand on the younger beings shoulder. "We understand. It must have been terrible for you to hear that your brother had been injured. I'm so sorry that you had to go through that."

Pap sniffled, drawing his arm across his face in order to wipe the tears away. Just then a doctor emerged from the ICU calling for Sans' family. In the blink of an eye, the would be royal guard was out of his seat and across the room before anyone else had even noticed he had moved.

"My name is Dr. Tennant, are you the family of Sans skeleton?" The middle aged man asked as the concerned monster came to a halt in front of him.

"Yes, he is my brother!" Papyrus exclaimed, trying to keep his voice down so as not to disturb anyone. "He's going to be okay... right? Please tell me he's going to be okay!"

By now both Undyne and the human couple had reached them and were waiting intently for the man to reveal any info pertaining to their friend.

The doctor sighed, taking a moment to push his glasses back up on his nose before answering. "I'm sorry but I'm afraid your brother has slipped into a coma."

"What?" The older skeleton asked quietly, bones trembling as he sank to his knees on the floor... his usually optimistic spirit abandoning him in the wake of such terrible news.

"I am not very well versed in monster anatomy so I have been working closely with Dr. Rose, a monster doctor, on this case. She is back with the patient finishing up right now but I'm sure she will come and talk to you later on." Dr. Tennant informed as Undyne managed to get her pupil into a chair. "He had multiple injuries upon admission, the most severe being the wound to his head. As far as we can tell your brother hit the pavement with enough force that, even with the helmet, his skull ended up acquiring a rather large fracture. Due to the blunt force trauma, he sustained an injury to his brain which led to the coma he is presently in. We are currently unable to know what side effects, if any, the brain injury may cause at this time."

The normally rambunctious male sat in his chair, listening in a haze as the doctor continued.

"In addition to the head wound Sans has three broken ribs, a hairline fracture on his right wrist, and a severely broken femur on his left leg." The doctor said, sympathy clear in his eyes as he took in the small group. " _If_ your brother wakes up his odds of surviving will increase exponentially. Until he does however... his chances remain pretty slim. I'll send a nurse out to show you to his room as soon as we have him settled. If you have any further questions you can either ask Dr. Rose or find me after my shift."

Undyne sucked in a deep breath as the human turned to walk away, trying her best to calm herself before she ended up taking her pent up aggression out on the doctor. She knew it wasn't this mans fault that Sans was in such a condition. No, he was doing his best to save the bonehead. It was the people who ran him over who were at fault and, if she had any say in the matter, they would pay dearly for what they'd done. She had no doubt that they would be brought to justice... even if she had to do it herself. The warrior's gaze shifted to her skeletal friend, watching as the information they'd just received finally seemed to sink in.

Papyrus curled in on himself, fresh tears filling his eyes as he buried his face in his arms. Sans was in a coma. He may end up with brain damage. The elder skelebro didn't know what to do with that information. How was he supposed to handle that?

 _'Brother...'_ He thought, silent tears streaming down his face. _'I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. Please be okay!'_

It was nearly twenty minutes more before the nurse appeared to escort the two monsters to the room that held the younger skeleton. Their human companions had taken their leave earlier, asking to be notified if anything happened. Even though they had only known Sans for a short time he had managed to leave quite an impression on the couple and Pap had found himself being drawn in by their compassionate attitudes. They both had spoken so kindly of his brother that it was hard not to like them. There were many people who overlooked Sans due to his comedic attitude... but Matthew and Jeanie seemed to have really seen him for who he is. So, with the promise that he would text them later, the humans had left the monster duo alone to await the nurse. Now that they were standing in front of the room where the younger skeleton resided, the pasta lover felt a lump rise in his throat.

"Hey, don't worry Pap... I'm sure Sans will wake up soon." The female monster tried to comfort, hoping she was right for the sake of her friend. "He can be tough when he wants to be. How else would he have been granted the position of judge by King Asgore? If he lets something like this take him out then..."

She trailed off as Papyrus smiled slightly, though it was tinged with sadness. A few seconds later the slightly taller monster took a deep breath, bracing himself before opening the door and peering inside. He froze, the sight that greeted him nearly causing his soul to shatter as he took in the small, bandaged form of his little brother.

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 **AN: Hope you liked this chapter of 'Light Within The Darkness' :) Thanks so much for taking the time to read it, please remember to leave a review.**


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